London 2012: The women's Olympics? - CNN.com London 2012: The women's Olympics? By Sarah Brown, CNN Updated 2:25 PM ET, Fri August 10, 2012 Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds. JUST WATCHED Women make their mark on the Games 01:49 Story highlights London 2012 is the first Olympics to feature women in every national team IOC chief Jacques Rogge hails "major boost for gender equality" Saudi Judoka Wojdan Shaherkani says taking part "opportunity of lifetime" Women's boxing included as an Olympic discipline for the first time at London Games It may not have been the most dramatic of moments, but it was certainly an important one: Two women, modestly dressed and veiled, walked proudly alongside the flag of their nation Saudi Arabia into London's Olympic stadium at the Games' spectacular opening ceremony. This understated entrance marked an extraordinary moment for the kingdom and for the Olympics itself, as the first occasion in the history of the Games when all countries participating have had women athletes in their teams.

The achievement was welcomed by those at the highest echelons of sport, with Jacques Rogge, head of the International Olympic Committee, noting with pride in his speech at the opening ceremony that it was "a major boost for gender equality." Women have been the center of attention throughout much of the Olympics, both within and without Games venues, as they broke records, sparked drama, impressed with immense skill and poise and won medal after medal. Indeed, for many, London 2012 has truly been "the women's Games." For hosts Great Britain, the undoubted superstar was Jessica Ennis , a heptathlete of remarkable talent and composure who snatched gold despite immense pressure and the unforgiving lens of modern celebrity. Her comfortable win in the toughest of contests, and her vow to "keep exactly the same and the way I am", sparked national praise and a call from women's activists for more positive role models like her. Photos: London 2012: The women's Olympics? Photos: London 2012: The women's Olympics?

Eva Risztov – Hungary's Eva Risztov lead the way throughout the 10 km swimming held at the Serpentine in London's Hyde Park before going on to get the gold medal. Hide Caption 1 of 19 Photos: London 2012: The women's Olympics? Jessica Ennis – Team GB's golden girl Jessica Ennis crosses the line during the women's heptathlon 800m to win overall gold for the event. She was a strong favorite ahead of the event and didn't disappoint fans. Hide Caption 2 of 19 Photos: London 2012: The women's Olympics? Ye Shiwen – China's Ye Shiwen competes in the women's 200m individual medley where she took first place on the podium. Three days earlier she had also won the gold medal in the 400m individual medley. In the process of going for first, she also broke the world record with a time of 4:28:43 (previously held by Australia's Stephanie Rice). Hide Caption 3 of 19 Photos: London 2012: The women's Olympics?

Missy Franklin and Dana Vollmer – Dana Vollmer, left, and Missy Franklin, right, react after winning gold in the women's 4x100m medley relay final. Hide Caption 4 of 19 Photos: London 2012: The women's Olympics? Victoria Pendleton – Victoria Pendleton proudly shows off the gold medal she claimed in the women's keirin. She ended her career on a high note at the London 2012 Games taking second place in the women's sprint finals. Austraila's favorite cyclist Anna Meares took the gold home. Hide Caption 5 of 19 Photos: London 2012: The women's Olympics? Wojdan Shaherkani – Wojdan Shaherkani's Olympic debut was short, but sweet -- the Saudi judoka said competing at the Games was "the opportunity of a lifetime." Hide Caption 6 of 19 Photos: London 2012: The women's Olympics? Sarah Attar – Despite finishing last in her 800m heat, Sarah Attar of Saudi Arabia received a standing ovation as she crossed the finish line.

She is the first Saudi Arabian woman to compete in an Olympic track and field event. Hide Caption 7 of 19 Photos: London 2012: The women's Olympics? Kristin Armstrong – The 38-year-old mother of two, Kristin Armstrong of the United States, shows she can do it all as she celebrates during the medal ceremony after the women's individual time trial in London. Hide Caption 8 of 19 Photos: London 2012: The women's Olympics? Sally Pearson – Sally Pearson of Australia leads Nevin Yanit of Turkey and Kellie Wells of the United States during the women's 100m hurdles final. She went on to win the race. Hide Caption 9 of 19 Photos: London 2012: The women's Olympics? Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor – Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor of the United States celebrate winning their third consequtive gold medal in the women's Beach Volleyball Gold medal match at the Horse Guards Parade during the 2012 Games.

Hide Caption 10 of 19 Photos: London 2012: The women's Olympics? Ruta Meilutyte – Lithuania's Ruta Meilutyte stands emotional on the podium to recieve the gold medal after winning the women's 100m breaststroke swimming event, beating fan favorites Rebecca Soni of the U.S. and Leisel Jones of Australia for the win. Hide Caption Photos: London 2012: The women's Olympics? Caster Semenya – Caster Semenya of South Africa competes in the women's 800m semifinals. Hide Caption 12 of 19 Photos: London 2012: The women's Olympics? Katie Taylor – Ireland's Katie Taylor celebrates winning her bout against Sofya Ochigava of Russia during the women's light (60kg) boxing final at ExCeL arena in London. As well as taking the Olympic gold for Ireland, she also became the first ever Olympic female lightweight champion. Hide Caption 13 of 19 Photos: London 2012: The women's Olympics?

Gabby Douglas – Not only is she the first African-American gymnast to perform for Team USA but 16-year-old Gabby Douglas also won two gold medals at the London 2012 Games (one in a team event and one as an individual). Hide Caption 14 of 19 Photos: London 2012: The women's Olympics? Katie Ledecky – 15-year-old Katie Ledecky of the U.S. reacts after winning the women's 800m freestyle beating hot favorite from Great Britain, Rebecca Adlington who took bronze. Hide Caption 15 of 19 Photos: London 2012: The women's Olympics? Elena Isinbaeva – Pole-vaulter Elena Isinbaeva of Russia said: "Of course I will remember my bronze medal from the London Olympic Games. It was hard to win this medal, it was really hard." Hide Caption 16 of 19 Photos: London 2012: The women's Olympics? Jade Jones – Jade Jones of Great Britain competes against Yuzhuo Hou of China during the women's 57kg Taekwondo gold medal final.

Jones ended up winning the bout making the Welsh taekwondo medalist the first British taekwondo champion ever. Hide Caption 17 of 19 Photos: London 2012: The women's Olympics? Ranomi Kromowidjojo – Netherlands' Ranomi Kromowidjojo competes in the women's 50m freestyle heats during the London 2012 Olympic Games. Kromowidjojo won two gold medals and one silver. Hide Caption 18 of 19 Photos: London 2012: The women's Olympics? Serena Williams – Serena Williams takes the customary bite out of her Olympic gold medal for women's tennis singles. Williams won two gold medals during the London 2012 games, the second with her sister in the doubles final at Wimbledon. Hide Caption Wales' Jade Jones wins taekwondo gold at London 2012 - BBC Sport BBC Sport Wales' Jade Jones wins taekwondo gold at London 2012 9 Aug 2012 Read more about sharing.

Welsh teenager Jade Jones has won London 2012 gold by beating China's twice world champion China's Yuzhuo Hou at the ExCel Arena. Jones' feat means Wales have equalled their 2008 Beijing tally of three golds with sailor Hannah Mills and boxer Fred Evans still in the hunt for gold. Earlier Jones beat Japan's Mayu Hamada in the quarter-finals and Serbia's Dragana Gladovic on her Olympic debut. Jade Jones celebrates winning 2012 Taekwondo gold In the process Jones became only the third Welsh woman to win Olympic gold following 4x100m swimmer Irene Steer at the 2012 Stockholm Games and road cyclist Nicole Cooke in Beijing in 2008. Sport Wales chair Laura McAllister paid tribute to Flint-bred Jones, who won Team GB's 25th gold, saying: "We are immensely proud of Jade Jones. "To not only reach the Olympic final, but to win the gold medal at her first Games, and at just 19-years-old is just the most phenomenal achievement.

"We often talk about using role models to inspire the next generation of athletes and to encourage young people to participate in sport and what better way to inspire the young women of Wales, than to see one of their own, a young girl from Flint, standing on the top tier of the podium at the London 2012 Olympic Games. "Wales are now guaranteed to bring home six medals from these Olympic Games, surpassing the unprecedented medal tally from Beijing four years ago and equalling the gold medal tally of three. "And with the colour of Hannah Mills and Fred Evans' medals yet to be decided, we could be in for more golden success." Jones, a silver medallist at the World Championships in 2011, recently gave an insight into her ambitions and preparations in her BBC column for this competition, including a diet heavy on pasta and jelly. Rhythmic gymnast Frankie Jones has also made her Olympic debut. Frankie Jones, who won silver at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, is competing in the women's individual all-around. The 21-year-old finished the opening day 21st out of 24 competitors as Russia's Daria Dmitrieva led the field.

Dai Greene and Rhys Williams were not selected to run in the British quartet for the heats of the 4x400m relay during the morning session at the Olympic Stadium.

THURSDAY'S SCHEDULE FOR WELSH ATHLETES JADE JONES Taekwondo: Under 57kg, Excel 17:00 BST (BBC Red Button) SEMI-FINAL Taekwondo: Under 57kg, Excel 17:00 BST (BBC Red Button) FINAL Taekwondo: Under 57kg, Excel 22:15 BST (BBC Two) FRANKIE JONES Rhythmic Gymnastics: Individual, Wembley Arena 12:00 BST (BBC Red Button) Rhythmic Gymnastics: Group, Wembley Arena 14:50 BST (BBC Red Button) Share this page London 2012: Welsh boxer Fred Evans finishes with silver - BBC Sport BBC Sport London 2012: Welsh boxer Fred Evans finishes with silver 12 Aug 2012 Media playback is not supported on this device Olympic silver for Evans in welterweight final Boxer Fred Evans had to settle for a silver medal as a record-breaking Olympics for Welsh competitors ended.

The 21-year-old Welshman failed to match Serik Sapiyev's work-rate at the ExCel Arena on Sunday and lost 9-17 in the welterweight final. Evans' silver brought the number of Olympic medals won by Welsh competitors at London 2012 to seven, their highest total from any Games. Jade Jones, Tom James and Geraint Thomas were the three gold medallists. Evans joined Chris Bartley and Hannah Mills in winning silver, while Sarah Thomas added a bronze to the Welsh haul. Evans's success gave Wales its best boxing medal in the history of the games, trumping Ralph Evans's bronze in 1972 Munich Games. His hard road to the London 2012 final, which also included an enthralling single point semi-final win over Ukraine's world champion and world number one Taras Shelestyuk, caught up with him as Sapiyev pulled away to win.

WALES' 2012 OLYMPIC MEDALS Geraint Thomas, Men's cycling team pursuit - GOLD Tom James, Men's coxless four - GOLD Jade Jones, Women's taekwondo under-57kg - GOLD Fred Evans, Men's welterweight boxing - SILVER Chris Bartley, Men's lightweight four rowing - SILVER Hannah Mills, Women's sailing 470 class - SILVER Sarah Thomas, Women's hockey - BRONZE "I've had four hard fights and I've got no excuses. He was sharper on the day and I didn't stick to my plan quite as I should have," Evans said. "I beat the Ukrainian world champion, the number one in the world.

Obviously I'm still young, I'm only 21 - I'm one of the youngest seniors here - so I've done well and I'm over the moon with getting to the final." Evans's fellow martial artist Jones in the taekwondo, coxless four rower James and team pursuit cyclist Thomas led the way for the Welsh contingent at London 2012 by winning gold medals as part of a great British performance that claimed 29 golds in a 65-medal haul. Lightweight four rower Bartley and 470 class sailor Mills have claimed silvers at London 2012, with hockey player Thomas winning bronze. Welsh athletes had claimed five medals at three previous Olympics - at Stockholm 1912, London 1948 and at Beijing four years ago - so a total of seven Olympic medals at these Games represents a stand-out achievement. The haul was reached despite two of the top tips for gold, 400m hurdler Dai Greene and triathlete Helen Jenkins, not fulfilling expectations after their preparations were disrupted by injury.

Green also finished just outside the medals as part of the GB 4x400m relay team that came fourth in the final, while sprinter Christian Malcolm's last hopes were dashed when the 4x100m relay team was disqualified in the heats. The only milestone missed was equalling the mark of four gold medals won at a single Games set at Antwerp 1920. Ninety-two years ago it was water polo players Paulo Radmilovic and Christopher Jones, along with 4x400m relay runners Cecil Griffiths and John Ainsworth-Davies who spearheaded the Welsh effort under the banner of Great Britain. Wales also contributed a record 30 competitors to the GB squad, boosted by the five footballers selected for the men's team that lost on penalties to South Korea in the quarter-finals.

Share this page London 2012: Jade Jones Becomes Britain's First Olympic Taekwondo Champion Winning Women's 57kg | The Huffington Post London 2012: Jade Jones Becomes Britain's First Olympic Taekwondo Champion Winning Women's 57kg 09/08/2012 23:56 | Updated 10 August 2012 PA Welsh fighter Jade Jones on Thursday made history by becoming Britain's first Olympic taekwondo champion. The 19-year-old, from Flint, North Wales, claimed a gold medal at the ExCel Centre in east London after beating China's Yuzhuo Hou 6-4 in the women's 57kg final. Wales' Jade Jones celebrates with an unexpected gold The teenager, whose grandfather Martin Foulkes got her to start the sport aged eight to keep her off the streets, was given rapturous applause after she claimed the prize. Jones threw her helmet in the air and did a lap of honour carrying the Union Flag after the final bell. Earlier on Thursday she pulled off a shock victory over the world number one Tseng Li-Cheng of Chinese Taipei to earn a place in the final.

The crowd chanted "GB" and waved a sea of Union Flags at the jubilant teenager. Earlier in the evening, Britain's Martin Stamper narrowly missed out on a medal. The 25-year-old from Liverpool was beaten 5-3 by Afghanistan's Rohullah Nikpah in the men's 68kg bronze medal match. Jones said: "It feels crazy. It's amazing and the crowd's amazing." She called her coach Paul Green "a legend", adding: "Without him I wouldn't be where I am today." Jones added: "Before I came out I thought, 'I'm not letting her beat me here in front of the home crowd'. "To be the first athlete to win Olympic gold is amazing." Jones was beaming as she accepted her medal. As the National Anthem was played she waved her hands, encouraging the audience to sing along with her. Spectators said it was "amazing" to see the teenager take home the medal. Welsh fan Gemma Morgan, 39, who attended the event with her 10-year-old daughter Bethany, said: "It was absolutely brilliant.

"Not only is she Welsh, she is 19 and she has got a fantastic future ahead of her. "I knew she had a chance at it. I brought my daughter along and she is inspired." Ms Morgan, who lives in Reigate, Surrey, but is originally from Rhwibina near Cardiff, added: "The GB support has been fantastic." Nick Frearson, 39, from Hampton Court, Surrey, said: "It was really great to see. "It was obviously really quite close but she was amazing and has done us all proud. "We were really lucky to get these tickets and had no idea we'd get to see Team GB win a gold." Jake Hosemann, 21, from Fleet in Hampshire, said: "The atmosphere when she won was fantastic. It was deafening." Related on HuffPost: Taekwondo star Jade Jones wins Wales' third Olympics 2012 gold medal - Wales Online Sport Taekwondo star Jade Jones wins Wales' third Olympics 2012 gold medal Welsh teenage taekwondo star Jade Jones has won an Olympic gold medal after beating world champion Hou Yuzhou, of China 6-2 in the final.

Share Wales' Jade Jones beat Yuzhuo Hou of China in the Women's -57kg Taekwondo gold medal final Share Get rugby updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email Welsh teenage taekwondo star Jade Jones has won an Olympic gold medal after beating world champion Hou Yuzhou, of China 6-2 in the final. The 19-year-old from Flint ran around the ExCel arena with a red dragon flag in one hand and a union flag in the other after beating the odds to claim the crown she craved. Earlier today she pulled off a shock victory over the world number one Tseng Li-Cheng of Chinese Taipei to earn a place in the final, leading to a whirlwind of excitement across Wales. In her hometown, fans and well wishers packed out the social club to celebrate as she held off the talented Asian to end round one level at 0-0 and then as she racked up the points in the second round, they could hear the roar in London. Then in the final round, leading 2-0, a head shot quickly saw Wales' youngest ever gold medalist in an unassailable 6-2 lead.

She then easily closed the contest out to win 6-4 before the celebrations began. The crowd chanted “GB” and waved a sea of Union Flags at the jubilant teenager. Jade Jones honoured with Olympic gold medal stamp After the bout, on being told she was Great Britain's first ever taekwondo Olympic champion, the excited youngster joked: "I could get used to hearing that. "To be the first British athlete to win a gold is amazing but to win it in the UK is something else. Also having my family here with me has made it extra special and I know all my friends back home have been cheering me on and putting posters in their windows. I want to thank them all." Related content Please leave your golden tributes to Jade in the comments box below After claiming her medal, Jade said: "It was amazing to win and it still feels crazy holding my gold medals. I had watched other athletes winning them for most of the last two weeks and I wanted one for myself. Now to have one around my neck is the best feeling in the world. "All the people who have supported me here and at home have been amazing and winning the gold for them is the cherry on the cake.

"At the moment taekwondo is a low profile sport in Britain and hopefully I have done something to change that. "Now I am looking forward to a bit of time off and then I will be ready to bring on Rio in 2016. "I want to say a big thank you to my coach Paul Green. He is a legend. He has pushed me so hard. Even when I have been tired or crying, he has still supported me." After his protege's amazing win, Mr Green said: "Jade has all the attributes of the best male taekwondo stars and she has been amazing today. But she is still really young and there are plenty of things we can work on in the next cycle, which should make the next Olympcis in Rio really exciting. Next page: What you need to know about Jade Jones Shy, retiring and totally focused is how Welsh taekwondo Jade Jones is described by her family. The 19-year-old took up the tough fighting sport aged just eight and it was her grandfather Martin Foulkes who put her on the road to the Olympics. He wanted to keep her off the streets of Flint – and with the backing of her community she has now achieved her mission.

Mr Foulkes, along with her mother Jayne Ferguson, was at ExCeL to cheer her on. He was the first to get the young “bundle of energy” to try her luck at taekwondo. Jade had tried football and athletics but was with her grandfather one day at Flint Pavilion Leisure Centre when he spotted a poster advertising the sport. They met Martin Williams, who became her first coach. Jade took up the sport full-time after leaving school – her goal was to try to get into the Team GB squad for London 2012 – and she was not afraid to say she wanted to win gold. Her medal is an achievement she will gladly share with the people of her home town. Like us on Facebook Most Read Most Recent Most Read Most Recent London 2012 Olympics: the best moments of a golden Games | Sport | The Guardian Sportblog London 2012 Olympics: the best moments of a golden Games From Super Saturday, to cycling dominance and glory all around, our writers sum up the best moments of the Olympics Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah, Beth Tweddle, Nicola Adams and Chad le Clos.

Photographs: PA/Reuters/Rex/Action Images Sportblog London 2012 Olympics: the best moments of a golden Games From Super Saturday, to cycling dominance and glory all around, our writers sum up the best moments of the Olympics Guardian staff Monday 13 August 2012 10.37 EDT First published on Monday 13 August 2012 10.37 EDT Close 1 The Brownlee brothers take gold and bronze In the weeks before these Games, the West Yorkshire brothers Alistair and Jonny Brownlee dreamed of crossing the line together in the triathlon, though they knew the Olympic rules prevented such a finish. As it turned out they both found a way to triumph. When Jonny, the younger brother, was hit with a 15-second penalty on a technicality in his changeover between the swimming and cycling it seemed his chance of a medal was gone. His brother had other ideas. Leading from the front Alistair set out at a brutal pace on the first two laps of the 10k run around the Serpentine, stretching the field and carrying only his brother and the world champion Javier Gómez with him.

The tactic, which the brothers had discussed during the cycle ride, established for the breakaway trio a 30sec lead over the rest of the field, and allowed Jonny to take his penalty and still win bronze, while Alistair strode out magnificently for gold. Watching on, it seemed the closest sport has ever got to a "two little boys had two little toys" moment. Tear-jerking brilliance. Tim Adams 2 Wojdan Shaherkani takes to the mat My personal highlight was probably, in pure sporting terms, the least worthy moment of London 2012. Saudi Arabia's Wojdan Shaherkani has achieved only a blue belt in judo and it was probably thanks solely to sportsmanlike politesse that she was allowed to stay on her feet for 82 seconds before being floored by her opponent in the women's 78kg contest. As she left the mat, she did not even know which way to bow.

But if it was negligible as a contest, as an act of courage it was heart-stirringly impressive – a 16-year-old girl who has never before been permitted to compete internationally, defying the hateful abuse she has received and daring to become the first woman from her country to take part in the Games. Her appearance in London was never going to win her anything but who knows, it may just inspire others to do something so shockingly transgressive as to participate in sport. Esther Addley 3 Ruta Meilutyte shocks the world It was day three in the Aquatics Centre and the big fish of US swimming, Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte had been circling each other. The pool had yet to come to life but on to the deck strode a little-known 15-year-old from Lithuania in a green swim cap. Ruta Meilutyte hit the front in the 100m breaststroke and her last 25m brimmed with the confidence of a youngster never having tried and failed. She pushed to go faster and surged to gold.

Grinning wildly, Meilutyte perched on the lane rope and lifted her arms wide to the 17,000 roaring fans in the steeply raked wings of seating. It was a gesture that crackled with realisation of what she had achieved despite or perhaps because of her youth and in that electrifying moment the champion and the crowd connected. Robert Booth 4 Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps go head to head The single best race I saw was David Rudisha's record-breaking run in the 800m final, with Mo Farah's victory in the 5,000m just behind. But I'm going to pick the first Thursday night in the pool, when Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps fought for the title of the greatest all-round swimmer at the Games. Both swam twice on the night, and each had about 30 minutes to recover between races. Lochte finished third in the 200m backstroke and then got blitzed by Phelps in the 200m individual medley.

Phelps staggered on to the podium, so tired he had to lean against the wall to stop himself falling down, then got back in the pool and destroyed the field in his 100m butterfly semi-final, finishing in the fifth-fastest time in history – he was a lot slower when he won the final the next night. He swam with a touch of the old anger that always used to fuel him, as if to say "you think I'm washed up? Watch this". He has no peers. Everyone else was swimming for second. A furious Phelps is one the finest sights in sport and this was the last great evening for the greatest Olympian. Andy Bull 5 Team GB baffle the cycling world Cycling offered many favourite moments: Bradley Wiggins speeding past Luis León Sánchez in the time trial, the women's pursuit team closing on the Americans in the final, Laura Trott's utter mastery of the elimination, the tears of Chris Hoy. But Olympic winning is the norm for GB cyclists. What was unique was when the silver medallist Grégory Baugé took over the post-race press conference to quiz the newly crowned sprint champion Jason Kenny about how he did it.

The Frenchman's conclusion: "You will play possum until Rio, then … bam." As a summary of the opposition's complete lack of answers in the velodrome, it could not be bettered. William Fotheringham 6 Mo Farah's 10,000m triumph The first time I entered the Park to be greeted by witty, smiling volunteers and professional, charming soldiers was a big moment – you realised this was going to work after all. But amid a ludicrously crowded field, the first half of Mo Farah's historic double edges it as a standout sporting memory. You can ladle all the meaning on to it you like – and the sight and sound of middle England collectively losing its marbles for a Somali-born, west London-raised man of the people was something to behold – but at its core this was simply an imperious sporting feat. No British man had won the event and there had not been a non-African winner since 1984. Farah tore up the rulebook, working with his American training partner, Galen Rupp, to deal with each surge as it came, refusing to panic and striking for home with supreme confidence at 600m as the noise reached wild levels.

The wall of sound in that intimate yet imposing bowl contained a note of disbelief, as if a crowd who had only just seen Jessica Ennis cross the line and Greg Rutherford jump to an unlikely gold could not believe what they were seeing. By the time Farah crossed the line to cap 47 minutes that will go down in British sporting history, there was barely a dry eye in the Olympic Stadium. Unfinished Sympathy, the Massive Attack song that was playing as Farah charged round his final lap, will never sound the same again. Owen Gibson 7 David Rudisha's 800m world record Few sporting achievements have left me genuinely gobsmacked but David Rudisha's victory in the 800m was one, even before all those privileged enough to witness it realised he had taken one tenth of a second off his own world record and acknowledged the feat with one of the loudest, most gutteral stadium roars I have ever heard. Such was the Kenyan's self-confidence he thought nothing of gambling the farm on breaking his record, bringing the best out of his beaten opponents in the process. So much so that Andrew Osagie's last-place finish was one of the stellar British performances of the Games.

Barry Glendenning 8 Beth Tweddle's brilliant bronze So many highlights. Mo, double Mo, Jessica, Super Saturday, the terrier-whippet Brownlee brothers, the Caribbean stall in the Olympic Park, the myriad of flowers in the wetlands, anything in the velodrome, the tenacious British handballers and weightlifters who never stood a chance but gave it their all, Michael Phelps's final individual race, the astonishing 15 and 16-year-old gold-winning girl swimmers from China and America, Tom Daley coming good, so many wheelchairs in a city in which the disabled are all too often invisible. But best of all was Beth Tweddle's retirement bronze – ethereal grace, true grit and the hands of a navvy. My mum always loved Beth and now I know why. Simon Hattenstone 9 Nicola Adams and Katie Taylor box to gold Yes, the Olympic Stadium on successive Saturday nights, amid the fluttering union flags and much of the 80,000 crowd singing the national anthem – think Last Night of the Proms on steroids – was something else.

But while no one will forget the Jess, Greg and Mo show, or the sequel a week later, for history on a truly epic scale you had to had to be at the ExceL on Thursday for the women's boxing finals. By some wonderful alchemy the Irish fans had turned a few hundred tickets into several thousand and for two hours they stomped and clapped and olé-d. British supporters caught the mood, especially while the Guardian columnist Nicola Adams was bamboozling the world champion Ren Cancan to become the first women's Olympic boxing champion in history. When Katie Taylor, Ireland's golden girl, joined her about 15 minutes later the volume shot off the scale, especially when the MC announced: "Ladies and gentleman, the winner by a score of 10 points to 8, and Olympic champion – Katie …" The rest was drowned out by exultant hosannas. The best atmosphere of the Games, bar none. Sean Ingle 10 Tumbleweed in the ExCeL At the ExCeL the seven-sport cocktail blurred into a ceaseless "happening" so there are two, related incidents.

The privilege of the job is variety, so doorstepping the Kyrgyzstan wrestler Aisuluu Tynybekova as she moved through the mixed zone after her first-round loss was an experience. After confidently yelling "Aisuluu" she finally stopped and, understandably, waited for the question. With no Kyrgyzstani or Russian personnel present a tumbleweed moment of Pinteresque silence followed, then she walked off. The second moment came the next day when this parish's esteemed rugby correspondent questioned a line in the report of Tynybekova's 63kg bout that stated fermented horse milk is Kyrgyzstan's national drink. "How do you actually milk a horse?" came the quite reasonable query. Jamie Jackson 11 Beth Tweddle's uneven bars routine It was 12 years since Tweddle had begun her gymnastics career. In that time she had won everything – European, Commonwealth and world titles – but an Olympic medal. Despite being almost a decade past prime gymnast age, and beset by serious injuries, she had kept training and competing because a fourth place at Beijing had left her heartbroken.

In qualifying, her belief-defying uneven bars routine made seasoned professionals gasp – and everyone knew that if she could just repeat it in the final, she would fulfil her dream. She did, and for the first time on a podium, the true stoic of her sport shed a quiet tear. Emma John 12 GB women's handball team v Angola Did they win? No. Was it close? Not even nearly. Did they try? By God, yes. The British women's handball team may not have landed a medal, or much troubled the leviathan nations of their sport, but in their Copper Box match against the world No8 team Angola, the rookie crew showed more heart, ferocity and sheer giddy joy in taking part in the Olympics than many other teams. The narrow 31-25 score line was a testament to their energy and determination, and, hopefully, a sign of greater things to come. As their coach, Jesper Holmris, said: "If we're competitive now with only four or five years of practice, and starting totally from scratch, then of course there's a really good future for handball in Britain." Fingers crossed.

Sam Jones 13 Jessica Ennis wins the heptathlon Looking back, it all began with Jessica Ennis. It was the 2012 poster girl, somehow shaking off the weight of public expectation, who got British athletics off to an incredible start that first morning in the Olympic stadium. Roared along by the crowd, the first time we felt the magic of their combined 80,000 strong voices, she gave us a sensational performance in the 100m hurdles: 12.54sec, so good it had Britain's team captain, Dai Greene, doing a double-take of the clock. The time alone put the 26-year-old in the history books – fast enough to have won gold in the individual event at all bar two Olympic Games . The pure anticipation, knowing that Ennis would go on, break more records, was spine tingling. The following evening, under an East London night sky, Britain's golden girl started the gold rush – the whoops and the tears – and then the lingering questions: did this really happen? Or were we all just dreaming?

Anna Kessel 14 Jade Jones's taekwondo gold Picking a solitary highlight risks overlooking the sheer brilliance of Danny Boyle's opening ceremony, the inspiring deeds of Team GB's cyclists, rowers, riders and the feelgood buzz of the Games as a whole. Perhaps the best snapshot, though, was Jade "The Headhunter" Jones's helmet-hurling gold in the taekwondo; fearless British female excellence was the Games's constantly recurring storyline. That photo of Wiggo posing next to the "Modfather" Paul Weller (separated at birth?) was great, too. Robert Kitson 15 Chad le Clos steals Michael Phelps's thunder One of Michael Phelps's greatest triumphs as an Olympian was entwined with a loss in a discipline in which he was meant to be indestructible. In the 200m butterfly final Phelps won his 18th medal – so equaling the Olympic record – but a twist was buried inside a moment that was meant to be swathed in glory. The event that had belonged to him for over a decade ended in defeat and a silver medal when South Africa's Chad le Clos produced a blistering finish that just beat Phelps to the wall.

That conclusion defined the exhilaration and pathos of sport. Bert le Clos, Chad's burly dad, then gave us the most entertaining interview of the London Olympics. Donald McRae 16 The opening ceremony These things are, without exception, awful. Except somehow this one wasn't. At the start of these fearfully anticipated Games it seemed almost enough that London had managed to get though this appalling game of global party charades not just unembarrassed but looking oddly and defiantly happy with itself after Danny Boyle's baroque and unapologetically intelligent left-leaning British history primer. In fact the only hole in Boyle's vision of Albion was perhaps a refusal to acknowledge the plastic rubbish that infests much of modern British life. Where was the cringe-making tat, the gurning mediocrity? On the other hand the creation of a giant looming Voldemort/David Cameron (yes, Boyle: we noticed) menacing the saintly NHS with his scythe more than made up for it. Barney Ronay 17 Murray finally wins at Wimbledon Got to be Henry's Hug.

When the 11-year-old Henry Caplan, eyes welling up, rushed through the seats on Centre Court at Wimbledon to hug Andy Murray after he'd beaten Roger Federer to win the gold medal, sport went from theatre to humanity. Henry told his startled father he "had to go". It was a spontaneous gesture that captured the emotion of the moment and told us something about the changing relationship between Murray and tennis fans who have taken a little while to warm to him. If a small boy from Essex can embrace the Scot, surely the rest of the country can too. Even south of the border. Kevin Mitchell 18 Ben Ainslie's gold medal Ben Ainslie was simply magnificent. He trailed Jonas Hogh-Christensen throughout the preliminary 10-race series and looked beaten in the medal race. Somehow he clawed back the Dane's lead and in the final race got ahead and stayed ahead to become the most successful Olympic sailor of all time. He was skilful but it was his steely determination to win that was most impressive. He willed his way to that fourth gold. And 70,000 people turned out on the beaches, cliffs and Weymouth's stone pier to roar him home.

He wasn't on great form; he shouldn't really have won it. But, somehow, you always knew he would. Steven Morris 19 GB win team showjumping gold I spent much of the Olympic fortnight among the horsey folk at Greenwich Park, where the arena surely offered the best views in London. I had excursions to the bizarre beach volleyball, the refined fencing and to Wimbledon, where I saw Roger Federer's epic semi-final win over Juan Martín del Potro and then Andy Murray's demolition of the great man himself. In sporting terms, the latter must win. But in human terms, the best moment came in the team showjumping, where Britain pipped the Netherlands for gold. The Dutch should have won really – the final rider, the individual silver medallist Gerco Schröder, just had to ride a clear round to nail it, something that was well within his compass. But he had a fence down, the contest went to a jump-off and the rest is hysteria. I would have been bereft but immediately after the jump-off I was standing next to the unsaddling arena as the British celebrated. "That was good sport," one of the Dutch riders called across. I thought that was a brilliant response.

"A silver won rather than a gold lost," they insisted. And they meant it. Stephen Moss 20 Laura Trott goes wild for Chris Hoy On Super Tuesday in the velodrome I was among a scrum quizzing the new omnium gold medallist, Laura Trott, as just in front of us, Sir Chris Hoy raced in his keirin final. She politely kept talking till the crowd noise made it obvious the finish was imminent. On seeing Hoy zip across the line first Trott jumped in the air, screamed as loud as she could, danced an improvised jig, hugged a British official and went straight back into answering some anodyne question I'd just put to her. Amazing moment, and a lovely woman. Peter Walker 21 Yohan Blake runs the bend It was tucked away in a relay race – albeit a final that was run in a world record time – but Yohan Blake's third leg of the men's 4x100m was the best piece of bend running I have ever seen. Taking the baton from Michael Frater, he was matched against Tyson Gay, the second fastest man of all time.

His legs working at a phenomenally high cadence, he reached a velocity that seemed to challenge the laws of centrifugal force and clocked a time of 9.0sec. After that, all Usain Bolt had to do was grab the stick and be himself. Richard Williams 22 Bradley Wiggins wows the time trial The complications of a time trial means that, quite often, at the end, you're watching hundredths of a second flick past on a giant screen instead of the riders: or if you are watching the riders, it's quite hard to work out if they've won – so there's often a split-second of perplexity. That was the moment of the London games, as the information sunk in, that Bradley Wiggins had won an Olympic gold in the same year as winning the Tour de France, and Chris Froome had got a bronze, that the home disadvantage had been overcome, all this dawning under an unexpected burst of sunlight. Zoe Williams • This article was amended on 15 August 2012. The original said that Ruta Meilutyte hit the front in the 100m backstroke rather than breaststroke. This has been corrected.

The man behind the success of the London Olympics needs a job befitting his talent. Here are some suggestions Published: 14 Aug 2012 Chairman of Games organising committee says politicians should invest in potential medal winners and inspire population Published: 13 Aug 2012 London 2012 finale used video montage of Bowie classics, and prerecorded slots for other absentees Kate Bush and the Sex Pistols Published: 13 Aug 2012 With London 2012 over, Olympic medal-winning athletes head back to their home countries to face adoring crowds Published: 14 Aug 2012

Question: At the 2012 London Olympics, which Welsh woman won a Taekwondo Gold medal?
Answer: Jade Jones